The is an annual professional wrestling round-robin tournament held by Pro Wrestling Zero1 to determine the top wrestler in the promotion, typically contested between July and August. Within the English-speaking professional wrestling world, the tournament is commonly referred to by its translated name Fire Festival.
Though it has sometimes be held as a single pool tournament, the tournament usually – and currently – features two pools of wrestlers, with the winner of each pool facing off in a final match to decide that year's winner. The winner of the tournament is presented with the "Fire Sword", which they carry for the following year until the next Festival.
In its current format, the tournament lasts four weeks. The winner of each pool is determined by a points system; five points for a victory by pinfall, submission, knockout or forfeit, four points for a win by countout, disqualification or technical knockout, three points for a draw, and zero points for a loss or no contest. Under the current format, double decisions (such as double count-outs or double disqualifications) are treated as draws.
In addition to Zero1 members, the tournament has frequently included outside stars, including 2003 winner Satoshi Kojima, Kensuke Sasaki and Taka Michinoku.
Tournaments YearWinnerParticipants 2001 Shinjiro Otani 1 8 2002 Shinjiro Otani 2 10 2003 Satoshi Kojima 1 2004 Kohei Sato 1 2005 Shinjiro Otani 3 2006 Masato Tanaka 1 2007 Masato Tanaka 2 2008 Masato Tanaka 3 2009 Ryouji Sai 1 2010 Shinjiro Otani 4 2011 Daisuke Sekimoto 1 2012 Masato Tanaka 4 2013 James Raideen 1 12 2014 Ryouji Sai 2 2015 Kohei Sato 2 2016 Yusaku Obata 1 10 2017 Masato Tanaka 5 2018 Yuko Miyamoto 1 14 2019 Yuji Hino 1 2020 Hartley Jackson 1 2021 Takuya Sugawara 1 12 2022 Daisuke Sekimoto 2 2023 Junya Matsunaga 1 2024 1 2025 Hayabusa 1 2026 TBD TBD
Results 2001 The 2001 Fire Festival was held from September 1 to September 15, over three weekly events on September 1, 8 and 15; four tournament matches were held at each, including the final on September 15.
+Final standings Block A Block B Shinjiro Otani 6 Kohei Sato 4 Horshu 4 Samoa Joe 4 Sean McCully 2 Masato Tanaka 3 Daisuke Sekimoto 0 George Takano 1 Block A Horshu Sean McCully Shinjiro Otani Daisuke Sekimoto Horshu X Horshu (Forf) Otani (8:32) Horshu (4:53) Sean McCully Horshu (Forf) X Otani (3:08) McCully (3:49) Shinjiro Otani Otani (8:32) Otani (3:08) X Otani (11:29) Daisuke Sekimoto Horshu (4:53) McCully (3:49) Otani (11:29) X Block B Kohei Sato Samoa Joe George Takano Masato Tanaka Kohei Sato X Sato (8:25) Sato (7:21) Tanaka (8:56) Samoa Joe Sato (8:25) X Joe (5:24) Joe (8:00) George Takano Sato (7:21) Joe (5:24) X Draw (9:28) Masato Tanaka Tanaka (8:56) Joe (8:00) Draw (9:28) X
2002
The 2002 Fire Festival expanded the tournament to include 10 participants, and was held from July 28 to August 4 over five shows, each featuring four tournament matches.
+Final standings Block A Block B Shinjiro Otani 6 Tetsuhiro Kuroda 6 Masato Tanaka 5 Yuki Ishikawa 4 Taka Michinoku 4 Steve Corino 4 Kintaro Kanemura 3 Hirotaka Yokoi 4 King Joe 2 Kohei Sato 2 Block A Kintaro Kanemura King Joe Taka Michinoku Shinjiro Otani Masato Tanaka Kintaro Kanemura X Joe (6:09) Kanemura (9:55) Otani (0:03) Draw (15:49) King Joe Joe (6:09) X TAKA (6:38) Otani (7:15) Tanaka (9:24) Taka Michinoku Kanemura (9:55) TAKA (6:38) X Otani (15:11) TAKA (7:57) Shinjiro Otani Otani (0:03) Otani (7:15) Otani (15:11) X Tanaka (14:06) Masato Tanaka Draw (15:49) Tanaka (9:24) TAKA (7:57) Tanaka (14:06) X Block B Steve Corino Yuki Ishikawa Tetsuhiro Kuroda Kohei Sato Hirotaka Yokoi Steve Corino X Ishikawa (9:02) Kuroda (9:46) Corino (9:56) Corino (7:17) Yuki Ishikawa Ishikawa (9:02) X Kuroda (11:52) Sato (6:53) Ishikawa (8:43) Tetsuhiro Kuroda Kuroda (9:46) Kuroda (11:52) X Kuroda (7:42) Yokoi (8:45) Kohei Sato Corino (9:56) Sato (6:53) Kuroda (7:42) X Yokoi (7:02) Hirotaka Yokoi Corino (7:17) Ishikawa (8:43) Yokoi (8:45) Yokoi (7:02) X
2003
The 2003 Fire Festival was held from July 25 to August 1, with four matches on July 27 being contested in All Japan Pro Wrestling. The winner, Satoshi Kojima, is to date the only "outsider" to win the Fire Festival, representing AJPW.
+Final standings Block A Block B Shinjiro Otani 5 Satoshi Kojima 6 Arashi 4 Masato Tanaka 5 Hirotaka Yokoi 4 Tetsuhiro Kuroda 4 Kintaro Kanemura 4 Alexander Otsuka 3 Yoshiaki Fujiwara 3 Kohei Sato 2 Block A Arashi Yoshiaki Fujiwara Kintaro Kanemura Shinjiro Otani Hirotaka Yokoi Arashi X Fujiwara (5:01) Kanemura (4:50) Arashi (14:53) Arashi (9:24) Yoshiaki Fujiwara Fujiwara (5:01) X Kanemura (7:54) Draw (11:24) Yokoi (6:51) Kintaro Kanemura Kanemura (4:50) Kanemura (7:54) X Otani (10:38) Yokoi (7:21) Shinjiro Otani Arashi (14:53) Draw (11:24) Otani (10:38) X Otani (6:48) Hirotaka Yokoi Arashi (9:24) Yokoi (6:51) Yokoi (7:21) Otani (6:48) X Block B Satoshi Kojima Tetsuhiro Kuroda Alexander Otsuka Kohei Sato Masato Tanaka Satoshi Kojima X Kojima (12:52) Otsuka (12:46) Kojima (12:34) Kojima (26:05) Tetsuhiro Kuroda Kojima (12:52) X Kuroda (9:03) Kuroda (10:36) Tanaka (8:07) Alexander Otsuka Otsuka (12:46) Kuroda (9:03) X Sato (7:51) Draw (9:18) Kohei Sato Kojima (12:34) Kuroda (10:36) Sato (7:51) X Tanaka (11:57) Masato Tanaka Kojima (26:05) Tanaka (8:07) Draw (9:18) Tanaka (11:57) X
2004
The 2004 Fire Festival was held from July 27 to August 1, over five shows.
+Final standings Block A Block B Takao Omori 5 Kohei Sato 6 Satoshi Kojima 5 Shiro Koshinaka 5 Wataru Sakata 4 Shinjiro Otani 4 Hirotaka Yokoi 3 Kintaro Kanemura 3 Tetsuhiro Kuroda 3 Masato Tanaka 2 Block A Satoshi Kojima Tetsuhiro Kuroda Takao Omori Wataru Sakata Hirotaka Yokoi Satoshi Kojima X Draw (13:02) Omori (19:06) Kojima (14:52) Kojima (14:35) Tetsuhiro Kuroda Draw (13:02) X Kuroda (11:16) Sakata (15:10) Yokoi (11:10) Takao Omori Omori (19:06) Kuroda (11:16) X Omori (7:17) Draw (30:00) Wataru Sakata Kojima (14:52) Sakata (15:10) Omori (7:17) X Sakata (9:50) Hirotaka Yokoi Kojima (14:35) Yokoi (11:10) Draw (30:00) Sakata (9:50) X Block B Kintaro Kanemura Shiro Koshinaka Shinjiro Otani Kohei Sato Masato Tanaka Kintaro Kanemura X Draw (5:34) Kanemura (1:18) Sato (9:14) Tanaka (11:07) Shiro Koshinaka Draw (5:34) X Otani (10:56) Koshinaka (8:32) Koshinaka (Forf) Shinjiro Otani Kanemura (1:18) Otani (10:56) X Sato (17:32) Otani (Forf) Kohei Sato Sato (9:14) Koshinaka (8:32) Sato (17:32) X Sato (Forf) Masato Tanaka Tanaka (11:07) Koshinaka (Forf) Otani (Forf) Sato (Forf) X
2005
The 2005 Fire Festival was held from July 29 to August 7, over five shows.
+Final standings Block A Block B Shinjiro Otani 5 Kensuke Sasaki 6 Tadao Yasuda 4 Hirotaka Yokoi 4 Masato Tanaka 4 Takao Omori 4 Daisuke Ikeda 4 Chris the Bambikiller 4 Kohei Sato 3 Ryouji Sai 3 Block A Daisuke Ikeda Shinjiro Otani Kohei Sato Masato Tanaka Tadao Yasuda Daisuke Ikeda X Draw (30:00) Draw (6:50) Tanaka (9:03) Ikeda (5:57) Shinjiro Otani Draw (30:00) X Otani (13:39) Tanaka (17:11) Otani (10:49) Kohei Sato Draw (6:50) Otani (13:39) X Sato (12:47) Yasuda (7:18) Masato Tanaka Tanaka (9:03) Tanaka (17:11) Sato (12:47) X Yasuda (7:46) Tadao Yasuda Ikeda (5:57) Otani (10:49) Yasuda (7:18) Yasuda (7:46) X Block B Chris theBambikiller Takao Omori Ryouji Sai Kensuke Sasaki Hirotaka Yokoi Chris theBambikiller X Omori (8:03) Chris (14:13) Chris (7:46) Yokoi (10:46) Takao Omori Omori (8:03) X Omori (20:03) Sasaki (22:51) Yokoi (6:15) Ryouji Sai Chris (14:13) Omori (20:03) X Sasaki (12:06) Sai (11:41) Kensuke Sasaki Chris (7:46) Sasaki (22:51) Sasaki (12:06) X Sasaki (10:44) Hirotaka Yokoi Yokoi (10:46) Yokoi (6:15) Sai (11:41) Sasaki (10:44) X
2006
The 2006 Fire Festival was held from July 20 to July 29, over six shows. Due to a tie for first place in Block A, a four-way elimination match was made on the night of the final to determine the winner of the block, with that man facing Block B winner Ryouji Sai later in the night. This would end up being Masato Tanaka, who also went on to defeat Sai and win the tournament. The top 4 in Block A are ranked below by order of elimination, with the first eliminated, Kazunari Murakami, ranked lowest. +Final standings Block A Block B Masato Tanaka 5 Ryouji Sai 6 Yutaka Yoshie 5 Takao Omori 5 Shinjiro Otani 5 Tatsutoshi Goto 4 Kazunari Murakami 5 Kohei Sato 3 Tomoaki Honma 0 Daisuke Sekimoto 2 Block A Tomoaki Honma Kazunari Murakami Shinjiro Otani Masato Tanaka Yutaka Yoshie Tomoaki Honma X Murakami (5:58) Otani (11:57) Tanaka (11:08) Yoshie (10:41) Kazunari Murakami Murakami (5:58) X Murakami (9:15) Tanaka (8:23) Draw (11:18) Shinjiro Otani Otani (11:57) Murakami (9:15) X Draw (30:00) Otani (10:18) Masato Tanaka Tanaka (11:08) Tanaka (8:23) Draw (30:00) X Yoshie (11:27) Yutaka Yoshie Yoshie (10:41) Draw (11:18) Otani (10:18) Yoshie (11:27) X Block B Tatsutoshi Goto Takao Omori Ryouji Sai Kohei Sato Daisuke Sekimoto Tatsutoshi Goto X Omori (7:29) Goto (7:44) Sato (6:42) Goto (9:40) Takao Omori Omori (7:29) X Sai (14:20) Draw (30:00) Omori (11:50) Ryouji Sai Goto (7:44) Sai (14:20) X Sai (12:18) Sai (14:14) Kohei Sato Sato (6:42) Draw (30:00) Sai (12:18) X Sekimoto (14:06) Daisuke Sekimoto Goto (9:40) Omori (11:50) Sai (14:14) Sekimoto (14:06) X
2007
The 2007 Fire Festival was held from July 16 to August 2, over nine shows. Four of the ten participants were determined by each winning a qualifying match on May 27. Four more were determined by fan voting, and the final two were outsiders handpicked by ZERO1-MAX. On July 20, it was announced that Ikuto Hidaka would be replacing Kazunari Murakami, who was forced out of action after just one match due to a head injury, due to finishing in fifth place in the fan vote. In a similar situation to the 2006 tournament, Block A ended in a full tie with four points, leading to a five-way match on August 2 to determine the finalist. The participants and schedule are as follows:
+Current standings Block A Block B Ryouji Sai 4 Masato Tanaka 7 Ikuto Hidaka 4 Kohei Sato 6 Shinjiro Otani 4 Daisuke Sekimoto 3 Yutaka Yoshie 4 Yoshihito Sasaki 2 Akitoshi Saito 4 Takao Omori 2 Block A Ikuto Hidaka Shinjiro Otani Ryouji Sai Akitoshi Saito Yutaka Yoshie Ikuto Hidaka X Draw (14:22)1 Sai (13:34) Draw (12:08) Hidaka (12:25) Shinjiro Otani Draw (14:22)1 X Sai (14:22) Otani (11:55) Draw (30:00) Ryouji Sai Sai (13:34) Sai (14:22) X Saito (14:16) Yoshie (14:29) Akitoshi Saito Draw (12:08) Otani (11:55) Saito (14:16) X Draw (30:00) Yutaka Yoshie Hidaka (12:25) Draw (30:00) Yoshie (14:29) Draw (30:00) X Block A Takao Omori Yoshihito Sasaki Kohei Sato Daisuke Sekimoto Masato Tanaka Takao Omori X Sasaki (8:40) Sato (15:21) Omori (16:11) Tanaka (14:57) Yoshihito Sasaki Sasaki (8:40) X Sato (12:11) Sekimoto (15:25) Tanaka (14:39) Kohei Sato Sato (15:21) Sato (12:11) X Sato (12:30) Tanaka (12:05) Daisuke Sekimoto Omori (16:11) Sekimoto (15:25) Sato (12:30) X Draw (30:00) Masato Tanaka Tanaka (14:57) Tanaka (14:39) Tanaka (12:05) Draw (30:00) X
1Kazunari Murakami wrestled this match; Hidaka was awarded the point upon replacing Murakami.
2008 The 2008 Fire Festival was held from July 27 to August 3 over six shows. It featured ten participants in two blocks, including outside participation from Big Japan Pro Wrestling's Daisuke Sekimoto, New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Manabu Nakanishi and Togi Makabe and Dragon Gate's Masaaki Mochizuki. As a result of a tie for the lead in Block B, a three-way match between Nakanishi, Takao Omori and Masato Tanaka would be held on the final day to decide the finalist; Tanaka won the match by pinning Omori, and would defeat Makabe in the final.
+Final standings Block A Block B Togi Makabe 6 Masato Tanaka 5 Masaaki Mochizuki 4 Manabu Nakanishi 5 Shinjiro Otani 4 Takao Omori 5 Kohei Sato 4 Daisuke Sekimoto 3 Kamikaze 2 Ryouji Sai 2